England fans need to be more realistic and show patience with Roy Hodgson after World Cup flop

In the last week, all I’ve heard is negativity coming from fans, commentators, experts, from all different kinds of media, and I do understand the frustration but there is a bigger picture that needs to be looked at here.

England are coming out of the ‘golden generation’ of players, which were a special group of players. They could and probably should have done better in major tournaments, I would say dating back to 1998. That being said, during this generation of players, nobody really came through except arguably Wayne Rooney. So you have been left in a position where the golden boys are ageing out, and the players coming into replace them have no experience in major tournaments.

Just like any team at club level, there is always a transition period between a squad of highly talented players, who have been together for years, suddenly reaching the end of their careers, and the new generation needing time to come through.

Any realistic England fan should have known going into this World Cup that they would be lucky to get through the group that they had been given, so why are so many people upset that they didn’t get through and demanding changes?

The simple fact of the matter is the three games they played, in my eyes at least, England were the better team, but got punished by silly little mistakes. The sort of mistakes that players with little to no major competition experience, or players who are at the tail end of their careers make. What you need right now is consistency.

I’ve heard people say that Roy Hodgson needs to be replaced but in my opinion that would be a huge mistake. He is the guy these youngsters look up to. He is the man who is crafting this team and the youngsters. In two years time, if England fail badly in the Euros then yes it’s time to bring in a new manager, but this man has led a young team into the tournament and he has the right idea, give them the experience and next time we will be stronger.

Look at the squad that you got. Jack Wilshere, Daniel Sturridge, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Raheem Sterling, Phil Jones, Ross Barkley, Luke Shaw are all players under 25. They are all very very talented players right now, in two and four years time, they will be breathtaking. But they need that consistency of manager and squad.